Gender ban in schools: DGB negative prize for minister

The DGB Saxony has awarded a negative prize to Minister of Education Christian Piwarz (CDU) for gender restrictions in schools. The "Unequal Opportunities Prize", awarded for the first time, is intended to highlight who is working particularly hard against equality and where inequality and discrimination are actually practised, explained DGB Vice President Daniela Kolbe. In Saxon schools, the use of the gender star or inverted commas in written work is considered a mistake. The ministry refers to the rules published by the German Spelling Council.

"The gender ban at Saxon schools is a fatal signal," said Claudia Maaß, Vice-Chair of the Education and Science Union (GEW) in Saxony. "Because it punishes an attitude and not an unconscious spelling mistake. There was never a need for this ban."

Piwarz: Gender signs make learning the language more difficult

Language must be clearly understandable and respectful, countered Piwarz. "That also means: gender-appropriate and gender-sensitive. It doesn't mean: special characters arbitrarily found on the keyboard." This is exactly what school administrators and teachers should pay attention to. "The fact is: gender signs are not suitable for everyday use. Above all, they make it difficult to learn our language at school." Those who use gender signs create additional linguistic hurdles.

"The fact that a culture minister receives a negative award because he insists on adherence to spelling rules speaks volumes for the motives of the award winners and less for the person receiving the award," said Piwarz. "Following this logic, I will soon also receive a negative prize because I adhere to the traffic rules."

According to the information provided, the prize was awarded for the first time. There were 20 nominations. The winner was selected by a jury of representatives from the DGB trade unions.